Kindergarten — sometimes called pre-primary, reception or transitional kindergarten (TK) — is the year your child prepares for school. And while it’s an exciting milestone, it’s not without its challenges.
For starters, the classroom is a very different place than preschool. The expectations are higher for kids to sit still and focus longer periods of time.
Social and Emotional Development
A child’s social-emotional development is what helps them learn to interact with others, including their peers. This can include forming relationships, understanding the emotional meaning of behaviors, and gaining the skills to control their behavior and emotions.
Unlike preschool, kindergarten is more structured and has clear academic expectations. Children are expected to know their ABCs and the shapes of basic objects. They also need to be able to pay attention in class and follow directions.
While it’s normal for young kids to have meltdowns or act aggressively, extreme behavior may make a student ineligible to continue schooling. You should speak to your child’s teacher and pediatrician about your concerns. If your child isn’t ready for kindergarten, you can opt to keep them in preschool or delay their entry into Kindergarten by a year.
Language Development
For many children, kindergarten is their first experience in a classroom setting. Designed to be more structured and formal than preschool, kindergarten is intended to prepare children for the academic demands of elementary school.
At this stage, typical children begin to recognize the letters of the alphabet and some high-frequency words (known as sight words) by sound. They also become increasingly familiar with the meanings of a wide variety of morphemes (such as geology and astronomy) and use their growing knowledge of word parts to read unfamiliar words.
At this stage, the comprehension demands of reading become more rigorous. Typical children use their growing vocabulary and morphological knowledge to decode unfamiliar long words, and they develop improved spelling by consolidating the common letter patterns that appear in many word families.
Diversity
In kindergarten, children learn about their local and global community and begin to understand how the world’s cultures and people are interconnected. Teachers facilitate this exploration by introducing children to different ethnicities, languages, religions, genders, families, physical abilities, and more.
Exposing kids to diverse books, dolls, toys, and learning materials stimulates their curiosity and helps them develop empathy and respect for others. It also encourages creativity, which translates to better problem-solving skills.
Celebrating festivals and allowing children to share their own cultural traditions with classmates broadens students’ understanding of other people. Likewise, inviting guest speakers and taking field trips to local mosques, synagogues, or cultural museums expands students’ horizons.
Getting parents involved is crucial to developing a classroom environment that celebrates diversity. Incorporate family culture into classroom decorations and activities, and invite parents to participate in classes or parenting groups that are relevant to their culture. This builds trust and demonstrates to children that they are valued.
Physical Development
Physical development is about children discovering their bodies and how they fit into the world around them. It includes their gross motor skills, such as jumping and hopping, and fine motor skills, such as holding a pencil and drawing. It is important for children to develop these skills so that they can explore their environment fully and learn more about the objects they see, such as a flower or a truck.
In kindergarten, children are able to begin learning more about the letters of the alphabet and their sounds, and they can understand basic math concepts like counting and grouping. They also start learning more about phonics and sight words to prepare for reading and writing.
During this time, it is important to remember that each child is developing at their own pace. This is why it is essential for programs to understand typical developmental milestones and the factors that influence them. Then, programs can tailor their support for each child.